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South Vietnam offers a prominent position in the American imagination due to the legacy of the Vietnam War, with many American tourists favoring it over other Southeast Asian destinations such as Thailand or Malaysia. From a tourist's point of view, South Vietnam combines history, culture and urban life with beaches and outdoor adventure, all in a country with easy travel links to the rest of the world.

Transportation

Tourists may enter South Vietnam by land, river and air. Tan Son Nhat International Airport (SGN) is one of the two most important airports in the country, and services Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Travelers in neighboring Cambodia often choose a different means of travel, however. Overnight buses run from the Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh to Ho Chi Minh City. Daytime travelers can use river boats to go down the Mekong into South Vietnam to Chau Doc in the Mekong Delta. From there, visitors may either continue on to Ho Chi Minh City, explore the Delta area, or travel to the island of Phu Quoc by sea ferry.

Entry Requirements

Vietnam requires a tourist visa and does not have a Visa on Arrival service at any of its entry points. Applicants need to submit their passport, a passport photo, a completed application form, and payment in the form of a money order, certified check or cashier's check to the Vietnamese Embassy in Washington, DC. Travelers in other countries, such as Cambodia or Laos, can apply for a visa there as well, although the requirements might differ slightly. The Embassy of Vietnam accepts applications up to six months in advance of the planned travel date, and applications may be submitted either by mail or in person.

Attractions

South Vietnam was the setting for most of the American involvement in the Vietnam War, so war tourism is a big draw. The War Remnants Museum is in Ho Chi Minh City, and outside of the city is a war-history theme park based on the underground guerrilla base known as the Tunnels of Chu Chi. The city also boasts fine French colonial architecture and the main cathedral of the Cao Dai religion, with its mixture of Roman Catholicism, Buddhism and Taoism. In south-central Vietnam is the Hoi An, once a thriving medieval port city and now a tourist attraction thanks to its well-preserved historic core. The place is also a major shopping destination and a good place to get inexpensive made-to-order clothing.

Beaches and Outdoors

Nha Trang is Vietnam's major beach destination, about 200 miles northeast of Ho Chi Minh City. For those seeking to go off the beaten tourist path, Phu Quoc Island off the southern tip of South Vietnam is ringed with beaches and often overlooked. Although the region is quite wet, the Mekong Delta is also quite flat and therefore a popular destination for bike tours. The forests and rugged hills of the Central Highlands of South Vietnam are the setting for many trekking, rock climbing and mountain biking tours.

When to Go

In South Vietnam, the dry season runs from December until April or May, with the monsoon lasting from May through November. Despite of the rain, however, the monsoon might be the best time to go. The monsoon season in Vietnam is characterized by partly cloudy or overcast days with a predictable downpour in the early afternoon. It rarely rains all day. By the middle of the dry season, on the other hand, temperatures are known to soar to over 100 degrees Fahrenheit.

Images related to South Vietnam

Scene of Viet Cong terrorist bombing in Saigon, Republic of Vietnam. Although the NARA website does not identify the exact bombing, it is believed to be the 30 March 1965 bombing of the US Embassy in Saigon. The scene is very similar to the Life Magazine photo of the event: [1] Additional photos of the bombing such as [2] [3] [4] show identical ...